This invention relates to tongs adapted for use barbecuing and the like that are equipped with an arm clamp and arm pivot limiters.
Tongs are a basic device for seizing, lifting, or moving objects. Tongs are characterized by having two adjacent long arms. The respective arm front ends function as jaws and pivot between open and closed configurations relative to a hinge-like interconnection existing between the respective arm rear ends in the manner of a class three lever.
The construction, configuration and size of the long arms of a tongs are chosen with regard to the end use intended for the tongs. In the case of tongs intended for use in barbecuing, the arms are relatively long and large so as to permit the user of the tongs to be spaced from the food that is being prepared. Thereby, the user avoids undesirable exposure or contact either with heat radiating from beneath the grill on which the food rests during its cooking, or with hot grease or particles spattering outwardly from the heated grill or food on the grill.
Usually a barbecue tongs is best handled and manipulated by one hand of the user, and usually it is most convenient to have the arms yieldingly biased into an outward, open configuration. Thus, when the hand of the user loosely holds a rearward portion of the tongs, the arms of the tongs maintain themselves in an open configuration, yet, when the user""s hand is closed, compressive force is applied against the bias, and the arms close enabling the arm jaws to grasp a chosen item, such as a piece of food or a red hot coal. Hence, the opening and closing of the hand of the user effectuates opening and closing of the forward end portions of the arms. The other hand of the user is typically concurrently used for other tasks associated with barbecuing food.
However, a problem of classic proportions is associated with barbecue tongs: The arms, so biased, can cause the tongs to be unmanageable, or nearly so. Thus, the outward bias provided for the arms does not limit outward movement of the arms so that the arms can fly open to a uselessly wide extent if not continuously gripped by a user""s hand, but such a gripping is commonly not practical through an entire barbecuing procedure. Also, the outward bias can severely interfere with practical or convenient storage of the barbecue tongs in a confined location when the tongs are not in active use or are not being grasped.
Further, when arms that are so biased are manually pivoted to a jaws closed configuration, the applied manual compression, or jaws closing, force is hard to control under use conditions. Commonly the applied force is somewhat excessive, causing the members of the jaw pair tend to override one another with the result that one jaw slips laterally relative to the other. This override can result not only in an undesirable stress upon the arms and the hinge like, rear end interconnection between the arms, but also in a shifting, mutilation, or, sometimes, an ejection of an object grasped between the closed jaws tendency so that the object is damaged.
Various means have theretofore been provided for limiting (or stopping) the outward and the inward pivoting extent of arm movement in barbecue tongs having outwardly biased arms, and for locking or clamping the arms in a substantially closed position. Commonly, such prior art stop and/or clamp means may involve an auxiliary member that is separatable from, but associatable, in some way, with the arms, and when so associated, effectuates a desired stop effect or clamp effect. Such an arrangement has disadvantages. For example, the auxiliary member can be cumbersome. When, for instance, the tongs so equipped are in use, the auxiliary member may be separated and easily lost or mislaid.
In prior art tongs, sometimes a stop means can interfere with a clamp means. Also, sometimes, a stop or clamp means may be used in a manner that is injurious to the tongs.
In the art of barbecue tongs, an improved structural arrangement is needed that incorporates integrally both an arm stop means and a non-interfering arm clamp means. Preferably the arm stop means can function limit both the outward and the inward pivoting extent of the arms. Such an improved tongs is provided by the present invention.
The present invention relates to improved tongs well adapted for use in barbecuing and the like. The tongs arms are outwardly biased and are equipped with clamp means for locking the arms in a substantially closed position and also with stop means for limiting the extent of outward and preferably also inward pivoting movements of the arms. The stop means and the clamp means are integrated into the structure of the tongs yet they do not interfere either with each other or with normal usage of the tongs.
The inventive tongs incorporate a pair of elongated arms that extend in adjacent aligned relationship relative to one another with each arm having a front end portion and an opposed rear end portion. The respective front end portions coact to comprise a pair of jaws that open and close to grasp a selected object.
The respective rear end portions are pivotably associated together and permit the jaws to advance pivotably towards and away from one another relative to the rear end portions.
A spring extends between the arms and is arranged to yieldingly bias the arms into an outward configuration relative to each other.
A reversibly actuatable clamp means is provided for holding when actuated the jaws in a nearly closed configuration.
A first pivot limiting means is provided that is associated with the clamp means and that limits maximum outward movement of the jaws relative to one another.
The clamp means and the first pivot limiting means employ a flange and a U-shaped sleeve that is slidably associated with the flange. The flange and the sleeve are at the rear end of the tongs. In one position along the flange, the sleeve with the arms in a nearly closed configuration holds the arms in a fixed position. In another position along the flange, the sleeve functions to allow the arms to open only to a predetermined extent.
A second pivot limiting means is provided that is associated with the arms and that limits the inward travel of the arms when the jaws are in a substantially closed configuration.
The inventive tongs overcome the above indicated disadvantages of prior art tongs and provide a new and very useful tong structure well suited for barbecuing and the like.
Other and further objects, aims, features, purposes, advantages, functions, embodiments and the like will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the teachings of the present specification taken with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.